Primus EtaPackLite Stove: The Best Stove for Backpackers

As the Director of Textiles, I cover lots of categories in the outdoor arena, like hiking shoes. I always attend the Outdoor Retail Show. The last time I walked the show aisles, I flipped over the new gas-powered Primus EtaPackLite Stove ($115). What intrigued me was its compact design and how it doesn't sit on top of the gas tank so it's unlikely to topple, spill water and waste gas. I enlisted my son to "trail-test" it on his annual backpacking trek with the Boy Scouts. His troop mates have long been complaining that their portable backpack stoves are difficult to use and just don't heat water fast enough, so they were more than enthusiastic to try this one out.

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According to Eagle Scout Nick Grippo, between them, the boys had four stoves running at once:

Stove One: Kept tipping over

Stove Two: Only boiled one or two pots of water

Stove Three: Never brought water to a boil

Stove Four (the Primus stove): Boiled 10 to 12 1.2 liter pots of water in a half hour period.

To keep their backpacks light when trekking, the backpackers carry freeze dried meals, which only require boiling water to turn into a delicious meal of spaghetti or beef stew. (Well, it's delicious to 16-18 year old young men who've walked 15 miles or so). Without the Primus, it would have taken a long time to get everyone fed.

Scout Nick also liked how the small size and light weight didn't fill up or weigh down a backpack, and the windshield made it easy to light the stove — even in a stiff wind. Plus, considering the amount of water it boiled, it didn't use much gas.

What else did I like? When it came home, all the components were nested within one another in a small pouch. No scrounging through the backpack to find all the parts.

So when your Scout comes home with a list of items for the next campout, consider the Primus EtaPackLite. You can find it at campmor.com, in my opinionone of the best camp gear websites.